We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years

and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten.

Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction.

Bill Gates

It is so easy to defeat yourself before you even start out. You have a great idea for a project, for your life, but because you can’t see it happening in the immediate future, you take your foot off the pedal or throw in the towel completely.

But what would happen if you dug in for the long term? As Bill Gates says, we underestimate what we can achieve in 10 years. (Indeed, I have seen people put together a 10 year plan and see it fulfilled within year 7 or 8.)

If I look back at my own life, 10 years ago, both my elderly parents were recently deceased and as well as grief, I was dealing with all the practicalities and fallout from that. I was about £10,000 in debt. I was in a job I had outgrown and no longer enjoyed, but had no headspace to consider a career change. And as I have written previously, I was having panic attacks.

Today, I am self employed (never even an option on my radar 10 years ago) and have been running my own company successfully for 7 years. I have paid off my debts and built up some savings. And am free of panic attacks.

Frankly, if the me of today had gone back in time to the me of 10 years ago and painted a picture of my life now, the ‘old’ me would have thought, “This is going to be worse than I thought - she is obviously on medication.”

There was no way the me of 10 years ago could have foreseen all the brilliant and wonderful things that were going to open up for me. Then I sat down (with a coach) and started creating my own possible future, rather than just hoping it would all get better.